TAIPEI
\nOne of the Taiwan air force\u2019s new, domestically developed advanced jet trainer aircraft crashed on Saturday after reporting engine failure, though the pilot safely bailed out, the military said.
\nIt was the first major setback for the AT-5 Brave Eagle, made by state-owned Aerospace Industrial Development Corp (2634.TW), opens new tab with a budget of T$68.6 billion ($2.1 billion). The first test flight in 2020.
\nTaiwan\u2019s air force said the aircraft took off from the Chihhang air base in Taitung on the island\u2019s east coast for a weapons training mission and then reported the failure of both its engines.
\nThe single pilot flying the dual-cockpit aircraft was rescued after parachuting out, while the jet, which had only 183 flying hours, crashed into the sea, it said, adding that an investigation team has been set up.
\nTaiwan\u2019s air force plans on taking 66 units by 2026 to replace its aging predecessor the AT-3 and U.S.-made F-5 training aircraft, which have suffered a series of crashes in recent years.
\nTaiwan\u2019s armed forces are mostly equipped by the United States, but the government has made development of an advanced home-grown defence industry a priority, especially as China, which claims the island as its own, steps up military modernisation efforts and drills near Taiwan.
\nThe AT-5 is Taiwan\u2019s first jet made domestically since the F-CK-1 Ching-kuo Indigenous Defence Fighter, or IDF, rolled out more than three decades ago.
\nThe AT-5 is used for both air-to-air and air-to-ground combat training purposes, and can land and take off using a shorter amount of runway. It can be equipped with weapons, though that remains in the testing phase.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
TAIPEI One of the Taiwan air force\u2019s new, domestically developed advanced jet trainer aircraft crashed on Saturday after reporting engine failure, though the pilot safely bailed out, the military said. It was the first major setback for the AT-5 Brave Eagle, made by state-owned Aerospace Industrial Development Corp (2634.TW), opens new tab with a budget […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":461807,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-461803","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-world"},"yoast_head":"\n